Vicks ended 2023 as the top Rx and over-the-counter (OTC) pharma brands in back-to-back months, according to data released by iSpot.tv Monday morning.
The cough and cold relief drugs brand owned by Procter and Gamble recorded an impressions share of voice (SOV) of 5.62% and 3 billion impressions in total. Vicks spent an estimated $15.5 million as part of its national TV ad spend, favoring CBS and its NFL broadcasts.
Compared to its performance in November, Vicks inched up in all three categories as the nation drifted further into the heart of cold and flu season while also dealing with other respiratory challenges like the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and rise of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Finishing second was Dupixent, one of the most dominant Rx and OTC brands of the year, which generated an impressions SOV of 5.32% and 2.9 billion impressions on $27.6 million in estimated national TV ad spend.
The eczema and asthma treatment from Sanofi and Regeneron found its greatest success with impressions on ABC, specifically ABC World News Tonight With David Muir.
In the third slot was Reckitt Benckiser’s Mucinex, which had an impressions SOV of 2.72% and 2.6 billion impressions from an estimated national TV ad spend of $10.8 million. Like Vicks, Mucinex experiences a rise in impressions around this time of year when people deal with seasonal illnesses.
Rounding out the top five were Skyrizi, with an impressions SOV of 4.65% and Rinvoq, with an impressions SOV of 4.31%. Of note, Rinvoq had the highest estimated national TV ad spend with $39.8 million during December.
The bottom half of the rankings consisted of Pfizer’s migraine treatment Nurtec, Alka-Seltzer Plus, GSK’s Advil, Pfizer’s RSV vaccine Abrysvo and Abbott’s FreeStyle. Advil had the lowest estimated national TV ad spend with $4.4 million.
The results from the final month of the year largely align with what iSpot expects from medical marketing in 2024: a greater emphasis on live programming and the continued emergence of advertising around RSV.
“Pharma advertisers placed a much heavier emphasis on NFL this December, with games generating 211% more TV ad impressions compared to December 2022,” Cassandra Arora, iSpot’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement. “Prescription and over-the-counter brands alike also focused on expanding reach with Spanish-speaking audiences, contributing to a 113% year-over-year ad impressions increase on Univision.”
For a February 2024 article about Vicks kicking off 2024 as top Rx, OTC brand, click here.
